Fabric-drying machine



0a. 28,1924. 1,513,369 E. CADGENE a r AL FABRIC DRYING MACHINE FiledJune 29. 1923 3 Sheeis-Shaat 1 INVEN OR [fin EST 0706;44:-

GEORGE .DUPONTZ I I u: g,

' ATTORNEYS @cico 28 E. CADGENE ET AL.

FABRIC DRYING MACHINE Filed June 29 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ERAEs T 640 037W: GEO/PGE D UFO/VT ATTORNEYS ct. 28, 1924. 151339 E. cApGNEET AL 'FABR'IC DRYING MACHINE Filed June 29. 1923 :3 Sheets-Sheet sINVENTO [IF/VEST C'floa N: era/m5 DUPONT ATTORNEYS Passes Oct. 2a, 1924.

ERNEST CADGENE, OF ENG-LEWOOD CLIFFS, AND GEORGE DUPONT, OF IPAT'EBSON,

NEW JERSEY.

FABRIC-DRYING MACHINE.

Application filed June 29, 1923. Serial No. 648,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST GADGiJNE, a citizen of France, residing atEnglewood Cliffs, county of Bergen, and State of New .Jersey, and I,GEORGE DUPONT, a citizen of France, residing at Paterson, county ofPassaic, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fabric-Drying Machines, lowing is a specification.

In the dyeing of silk and other fabrics it is the common practice topass the goods directly from the dyeing machines to a drying machine,which for most classes of goods is usually some form of a tenteringmachine which framesfithe goods under tensionto the required width.Because of the desire to obtain the maximum crpey effect in the finishedproduct, materials such as georgette, crepe de chine are not passeddirectly to a tentering machine but are first dried in such a manner asto eliminate as much as possible, tension upon the goods during thedrying thereof so as to allow a maximum shrinkage and thereby secure thefullest possible extent of the crpey effect.

-Three methods and forms of apparatus have been commonly used toaccomplish the drying of the goods, one of which consists in theprovision of a plurality of wooden rods or strips placed within a largedrying box and over which rods or strips the goods are suspended to forma plurality of vertically extending loops, there being no relativemovement between the goods and rods. This form is objectionable becauseof the fact that with certain shades or colors, transverse stripes areformed in the goods by the continuous contact of each rod with the samesection of the fabric during the entire drying thereof.

Another form consists in the rovision of a number of horizontally extening endless belts usually of wire mesh arranged one above the other instaggered cascade formation and the upper runs of adjacent beltstravelling in opposite directions so that the goods which are passedonto the top belt from the dyeing machine will fall. to the next lowerbelt and in this manner will be carried through the machine. There is noof which the folrelative movement between the goods and the belts andconsequently if the goods when falling upon either of the upper beltsshould fall into a crease, there is a sufficient drying of the goods inthese upper runs to produce a stripe in the goods.

The remaining form consists in passing the goods in substantiallyvertically extending reaches around upper and lower rollers of smalldiameter, all of which rollers are positively driven and while this lastform overcomes the objectionable formation of stripes in the goods, itis subject to the objection that the goods are placed under a tensionwhich diminishes the crpey effect.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a method fordrying crepefabrics which will overcome the difficulties andobjectionable features noted above as present in the prior art.

Another object is to provide'a machine for carrying out our improvedmethod by means of which the goods are kept continuously in-relativemovement with respect to the means for supporting them within the drybox, while at the same time eliminating or reducing to a negliblequantity the tension upon the goods.

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will beapparent to those skilled in the art to which this appertains, theinvention consists in the method for drying the goods and in thecombination con-- struction and arrangement of parts of an apparatus forcarrying out the method as hereinafter disclosed and as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, but it will beunderstood that such changes, variations and modifications may beresorted to as fall within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings:

t Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in verticalsection showing a machine embodying our invention and adapted to carryout the method.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3

Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal vertical section of a modified form ofa machine and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic chart showing is a section on theline 33 of a typical saturation curve for the goods as they pass throughthe drying box, and by means of which the required diameters of thedriving rolls shown in Fig. 4 may be ascertained.

After a considerable period of experimentation we have found that inorder to overcome the difliculties of the prior art methods andmachines, it is necessary in the first place to devise a method ofdrying the goods by means of which there is at all times a relativemovement between the goods and the supporting means therefor, as theypass through the drying box, so as to avoid objectionable striping ofthe goods, and

in the second placeto entirely eliminate tension on the goods or toreduce the tension to a negligible quantity in order that the maximumcrpey efi'ect may be maintained.

Referring to Figsl to 3 of the drawing which illustrate a suitableapparatus for carrying out such a method, the numeral 10 indicates theuprights ofa framework which uprights are connected by the horizontallyextending upper and lower members 11 and 12 and the intermediate upperplate and roller supporting members 13 and 1% respectively.

Rotatably mounted in suitable bearings secured to the roller supportingmember 14, are a plurality of horizontally, extending rollers 15,: anumber of which (preferable three) at the entrance end of the machineindicated by the numeral 15 are driven by variable speed changemechanism to be hereinafter described and the remainder of which aredriven at a constant speed from the main shaft 16 by means of thebevelgears 17. The main shaft 16 is rotatably mounted upon the rollersupporting member 14, as by means of the brackets 17 The variable changespeed mechanism for the rollers 15 may consist of any well known type ofchange speed transmission and as shown, a pair of o posed cone shapedpulleys 18 are mounte upon each of the shafts 19, each of which is invertical alient with its corresponding roller 15. Shafts 19 arerotatably mounted in suitable bearings upon the upper horizontal member11 and are driven from the main shaft 16 by means of the belts 20, 21,22 or other suitable driving means. A pair of cone pulleys 23 similar tothe pulleys 18 are mounted upon each of the shafts of rollers 15 and abelt 25 having a plurality of cleats 26 secured to the inner facethereof is trained about the coopcrating pairs of pulleys 18 and 23, theside faces of the cleats 26 being tapered at an inclinationcorresponding to the inclination of the cones. A. lever 27 pivotallymounted as at 28 is provided for each change speed device and has meansto engage a groove provided in the hubs of the pulleys according to thewell known construction of devices of this character. When the lever ismoved towards the left in Fig. 2 the distance between/ the lower conepulleys 23 will be decreased and the" distance between the upper pulleysincreased, thereby increasing the speed of the rollers 15 in a mannerwhich will be obvious.

Secured to and extending between each of the lower members 12 and theupper plate member 13, is a plate 30 upon the inner face of which aresecured a plurality of pairs of vertically extending angle ironsarranged in opposed spaced relationship to form guide ways 31 for thefree floating rollers 32, the guide ways 31 being arranged to cause theaxis of rollers 32 to be located in a vertical plane midway between theaxis of the adjacent top rollers. Rollers 32 may be constructed of thinaluminum tubing or of any other suitable light material and should be aslight in weight as possible to avoid to the greatest extent placing anytension upon the goods G which as clearly shown in the drawings aretrained about the upper rollers so as to form vertically extending loopsin the bottom of which the rollers 32 are placed. The ends of rollers 32extend loosely into the guide ways 31 and have free rotary and verticalmovement therein and are prevented from moving longitudinally by theplates 30. lit will be understood that the entire apparatus will beenclosed in a suitable dry box heated by steam or in any other desirablemanner.

The necessity for providing the change speed mechanism for the rollers15 will be apparent by refer to the curve Al3 shown in Fig. 5 in whichthe ordinates represent the saturation of the goods and the abscissaethe length of travel of the goods through the machine. Assuming that theorigin represents the pointof entrance of the goods into the machine andthe numerals l, 2, 3, etc. represent the length of material between theentrance point and the first, second, third, etc., rollers, the value ofthe ordinates of thecurve A-B at the corresponding points represents theamount of moisture content or saturation of the goods. It will thus beseen that there is a greater loss of moisture between the entrance pointand the first roller and that the loss of moisture will vary until itapproaches a nearly constant amount towards the delivery end of themachine, consequently there will be a greater degree of shrinkage of thegoods at is passes between the first few rollers than at the deliveryend. Because of this shrinkage it becomes necessary to feed the goodsfaster at the front end of the machine and as the cunt of moisture lostwill vary with the nature of the goods and the variation of otherconditions it becomes desirable to provide a change speed mechanism asshown. e there will be a variation of till the amount of goods passingover the first roller and the last roller 15, due to the I shrinkage ofthe goods between these two points, thisvariation will not be very greatas will be evident by referring to the curve A B, and it will becompensated for by the free mounting of the rollers 32 which willgradually be caused to rise in the guide ways 31. I'he rising of therollers 32 will' be so slow, however, that they will not approach thetops of the guideways until the machine has been in operation for quitea long period and Whenever it becomes necessary the loops may belengthened by hand until the rollers 32 are again situated adj acent thebottom of the guide ways 31.

In order to provide a further means-for compensating for the shrinkageof the goods .between the front and last rollers 15, and

to obviate the necessity for readjusting the length of the loops, we mayemploy a construction such as shown in Fig. 4:, in which each of therollers 15' is rotated at a constant speed but are of progressively de-vcreasing diameters proportional to the values of the ordinates of thecurve A B at the corresponding points, the values of vertically extend'which ordinates and the corresponding diameters being computed from acurve plotted to represent the average conditions.

It willbe understood that if desired all of the rollers may be made ofdifferent diameters to compensate for the shrinkage or that instead ofmaking the rollers 15 of different diameters, the can be made 'of thesame diameter and .t e driving gear ratios made proportional to thevariations of the shrink Having thus described our invention, what weclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The method of drying crepe fabrics which consists in passing thefabrics through a drying box, maintaining relative movement between thefabric and the means for supporting it, while maintaining a minimumtension upon the oods.

2. The method of ing crepe fabrics which consists in passi the fabricthrough a drying box in a series of substantially loops, supporting theupper ends of said oops while maintalning relative movement between thefabric at said upper ends and the supporting means therefor, andmaintaining the fabric at lower ends of said loops in spacedrelationshipv at a minimum tension.

3. The method of drying crepe fabrics which consists in passing thefabric'through a drying box, supporting the fabric, to form a series ofspaced substantially vertically extending loops, while maintainingrelative movement between the fabric and the supporting means for saidloops and feeding the fabric through the box at sp intervals and atspeeds proportional to the rate I of shrinkage of the fabric betweensuch intervals.

4. Ina machine for drying crepe fabric, a drying box, means forsupporting the fabric in a plurality of substantiall verticallyextending loops comprising a p urality of spaced upper driven rolls tosupport the upper ends of the loops and feed the fabric through thedrying box and a lurality of lower rolls suspended for ree directvertical movement.- 4

5. In a machine for drying crepe fabrics, a drying box, means forfeeding the fabric and supporting it in its travel through the machine,said means consisting of upper rolls and relatively smaller rolls tosupport the fabric in a plurality of substantially vertically extendingspaced loops and to cause relative movement between the fabric and saidmeans without producing any appreciabl'e tension upon the fabric.

6. In machine for drying crepe fabrics,

a drying box, a plurality of upper driven rolls about which the fabricis trained to form a plurality of spaced substantially verticallyextending loops, alower roll of extremely light weight laid within thebight of each of said loops, and means to hold said lower rollers inspaced relationship.

7. -In a machine for drying crepe fabrics, a drying box, means tosupport the fabric within the box, means-to continuously drive saidsupporting means and cause relative movement between the fabric and saidsupporting means and means to cause said freely mounted to permit theadrying box, a plurality of upper rolls about which the fabric istrained to form a plurality of substantially vertically extending loops,means to drive the rolls at the entrance end of the box at variablespeeds to compensate for'variable shrinkage of the material in itspassage through, v

the machine and means suspended for free vertical movement to engage thefabric at the lower ends of said 100 to permit variation of the lengthsof sad loops to compensate for'shrinkage of said fabric.

9. In a machine for drying crepe fabrics,

a drying box, a plurality of upper rolls about which the fabric istrained to form a plurality of vertically extending loops, means todrive a plurality of said rollers at an equal speed, means to drive there maining rollers at a ditierent speed to compensate for the shrinkageof the fabric and means to engage ,the fabric at the lower ends ofsa'id'floo s to hold said loops in spaced relationship, said last namedmeans being mounted for free vertical movement to permit the len ths ofsaid loops to vary whereby an additional compensation for shrinkage ofthe fabric is provided 10. In a machine for drying ere e fabrics a dryinbox, a plurality of drlven rolls about w ich the fabric is adapted to betrained to form a plurality of substantially verticall extending loops,means to drive said rol means to vary the speed of the driving means forcertain of said rolls to compensate for shrinkage of the material duringthe drying thereof and a roller suspended for free vertical movementengaged wit the lower end of each of said loops to hold the loops inspaced relationship neraeee while pertting free shrinkage of? thefabric,-

11, In a machine for dryin crepe fabrics,-

about which the fabric is trained means to drive certain of said rollersat the same speed of rotation, and means to drive the remaining rollersat difierent speeds, the diameters of said certain rollers beingproportioned to the varying shrinkage of the" fabric in its travelthrough the machine,

In testimony whereof We have aifixed our signatures.

. DR. ERNEST GADGENE.

GEORGE DUPONT.

